Södertörn University’s websites use cookies for optimal performance. By choosing “I accept cookies”, you consent to their use.
If you do not want to allow cookies you can turn them off in your browser’s security settings.

Contact information

Shortcuts

Philosophy

Philosophy is based on every person's sense of wonder at the world. It trains you to reflect on and think systematically about basic questions such as: What are goodness, beauty and truth? What are consciousness, language and matter?

Philosophy offers you a platform from which you can critically study the relationship between the different descriptions of the world you meet in art, science and religion. This means it is also a good complement to other subjects, whether they are humanities or sciences.

In Sweden, philosophy has long been divided into a theoretical branch and a practical branch. At Södertörn University, we bring both together. From the very start, we are interested in how questions relating to nature, art, language and morality are interlinked.

Philosophy is the art of thinking. The Greek word philosophia means "love of wisdom". The aim is to train one's judgment through analysis, critique, and self-critique, to pay attention to distinctions and to see underlying patterns, and to see the whole beyond the parts. Philosophy is a systematic reflection on reason and reality; studies in philosophy will provide a good foundation for studying any other discipline, as well as for professions that requires analytical skills and a creative intellect.

Philosophy at Södertörn unites the theoretical and practical aspects of the discipline. The analysis of knowledge, and of how language shapes our world, is interwoven with political and ethical investigations, as well as with questions of how to live a good and just life. Philosophy is studied on the basis of a body of classical and modern texts, from Plato to Foucault. The art of thinking philosophically is practiced through a critical retrieval of the past.

Emphasis is placed on the Continental European tradition, from Kant and Hegel through Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, de Beauvoir, Arendt, and Derrida to the present, as well as on ancient philosophy. However, the curriculum aims to provide a qualified introduction to the study of philosophy as a whole.

We offer courses from basic to advanced levels. The first two terms (A and B) are each divided into four subsections: Ethics, Logic, Metaphysics, and Politics. Other courses deal with existential philosophy, contemporary political philosophy, aesthetics, and critical theory of science. We also provide courses such as Greek for Philosophers and Indian Traditions of Thought.

Philosophy at Södertörn provides vibrant research environment, with many doctoral students, and has advanced seminars with many participants. All the teachers are frequent contributors to Swedish and international publications, and the department has hosted a number of distinguished visiting lecturers and international symposiums.

We have international exchange programmes within the framework of the Erasmus programme, with places for students in Rome (La Sapienza), Freiburg, and Greifswald. We also have close collaboration with PUC University in Rio de Janeiro, and with Seattle University and the New School in New York.

In addition to classroom lectures and seminars, we also offer a popular web-based course, which provides a concentrated introduction to the history of philosophy based on the four subsections from the A and B courses (see above). The course surveys ancient philosophy, medieval and renaissance philosophy, modern philosophy up to Kant, and modern philosophy up to 1950. The course is aimed at students who want a shorter introduction to the study of philosophy through web-based learning. As a sequel to this first course, we also offer a course on contemporary philosophy from 1950 to the present.